OK did ya know? The Oklahoma Quarter

The first commemorative quarter dollar released in 2008 honors Oklahoma, 46th state to join the Union (on November 16, 1907) and 46th quarter in the United States Mint's 50 State Quarters® Program. Oklahoma's nickname is the "Sooner State."

The quarter's image features the scissor-tailed flycatcher, Oklahoma's state bird. Its tail, as long as its body, is spread open like scissors as it flies. The bird is soaring over the state wildflower, called "Indian blanket."

The Indian blanket (gaillardia) symbolizes Oklahoma's rich American Indian heritage, its native long grass prairies, and the prairies' abundant wildlife. Oklahoma was formed out of the Oklahoma Territory and the Indian Territory of the Five Civilized Tribes (Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek, Seminole, and Cherokee). The state's name comes from the Choctaw words "okla" and "homma," meaning "red" and "people."

Governor Brad Henry asked Oklahomans for design suggestions, and about 1,000 submitted written ideas. About a half-million Oklahomans then voted for their favorite design. On January 18, 2007, The U.S. Commission on Fine Arts selected the design from the voters' top five choices.

The Oklahoma quarter was designed by Susan Gamble, a master designer from Virginia who works for the Mint. She is part of a Mint program in which artists from around the country were selected to prepare original designs for the nation's coins and medals.